Beginner trying to build

It might sound dumb by going into your LBS and asking them, but I'd recommend doing it. They're the experts and they'll tell you what they recommend. They probably won't try to rip you off either. Ask if you buy a bunch of parts there, if they'll give you a discount. Just explain your situation and tell them that youre interested in starting to cycle again and want to build a bike. They should help lead you in the right direction.

But don't let them (bike shop) start with that, "oh, building a bike is too expensive, why don't you buy one of our complete ones?" bull [censored].

One thing, maybe post a pic of your bike online, and we can give you some pointers. You got to take this slow, and think about stuff a lot to make it work. If not, you will waste a lot of money.

free_rideman said:

But don't let them (bike shop) start with that, "oh, building a bike is too expensive, why don't you buy one of our complete ones?" bull [censored].

One thing, maybe post a pic of your bike online, and we can give you some pointers. You got to take this slow, and think about stuff a lot to make it work. If not, you will waste a lot of money.

I agree, but the one good thing that I've learned is that building can be much more expensive than buying a prebuilt one. My LBS basically told me straight up that Trek is selling you a frame and fork and giving you all the components. He told me that Trek buys stuff from Shimano in such big quantities that they hardly pay anything for them. If you individually look at everything and compare it to their prices, many times it will be cheaper pre built. Like I've said before though, building is an art and everything is how you want it, not how Trek wants it.

The mostly used route may be problematic for a novice...

If a component doesn't work, or works poorly, you will need to somehow determine whether what you are using is faulty or if you are installing/adjusting it poorly.

morganism said:

So I haven't even put my butt on a bicycle seat in about 10 years. I had the bright idea to get a frame and build a good beginner road bike all by myself. Well, now I'm all nervous and twitchy about this project.

I have a 45cm Shogun frame (I'm only 5'1) and that's it. I have been browsing all of the threads regarding bike building, but I don't even know what 90% of the parts are. How do I know what is compatible with my frame? I plan on going the mostly used parts route since I'm a novice. Other than that, I have no plans... No clues... No direction. Help? Advice? I feel like an idiot going into a bike shop blindly... "Umm yeah, I need to build a bike. What do I want? Oh, what should I want?" I'd like some sort of idea as to what I'm looking for before I make myself look like a complete moron. haha. Thanks!

FIRST. You need to decide if your frame uses 650c (probably!) or 700c wheels -- the brake bridge (mounting location) will be between 14" & 15" from where the axle's center is on a frame which uses 700c/27" wheels ... less would imply 650c wheels.

Shogun? I am presuming this is a 70s or 80s vintage, steel frame ...

DO consider going to a bike shop to see how a new bike is outfitted ... just look around. Get some catalogs from Nashbar, Colorado Cyclist, EXCEL (you can request via their websites -- unfortunatley, it will probably take 6 weeks before you receive any). Pick up as many bike brochures from the shop so you can see what's what.

Decide if you want "flat" moutain bike type bars OR road bars ...

AFTER you figure out which handlebar configuration you want, I think you can consider going to your Goodwill-type store to see if you can't find a bike with the components you want (other than the wheels, probably; OR, you can start with an OLD probably-suspensionless mountain bike and cannibalize everything except the brake calipers if you decide to go with "flat" bars) which you can cannibalize to put on your frame ... the size of the bike's frame won't matter since you will be most interested in the components AND their condition/quality.

I think that 26" wheels (as in MTB wheels) may have a rim size which can fit in a 650c frame, but the rear triangle spacing on your frame is PROBABLY only 126mm vs. 135mm ... so, you would either need to spread the rear triangle AND align the rear derailleur hanger if you are planning to use indexed shifting OR have a MTB wheel re-spaced to 130mm (current road wheel width) & re-dished ... with a 130mm rear wheel, you could probably get by without realigning the rear derailleur hanger AND you can either spread the frame on an ad hoc basis each time you insert the wheel OR use a little brute muscle force (it's probably only 30-to-40 lbs. of force, so don't use a 2x4 for leverage with a frame made from double-butted tubing!) to flex the rear stays to a wider distance ... repeat until the rear is properly spread ... so, initially, while you go through the learning process, consider finding an old mountain bike of reasonable heritage & quality whose parts you can utilize.

You will need tools ... bike specific tools. The low end toolkits (~$40-to-$50) have most of the tools you will need, but the quality of some of the tools is necessarily of a lesser grade ... there is definitely a convenience factor.

After you have cannibalized as much as possible from a used-bike, then you will know which other components you want ... AND, with the passage of time, you can upgrade/update/replace with possibly better components -- don't buy a junky junker to just to cannibalize if you don't know what you're looking at!

Regardless, you will probably want to buy new cables & cable housing, regardless of what you can cannibalize from another bike ... you will probably need to buy a frame-specific seat post AND you'll probably want to buy a "new" saddle if you don't have one to use ... plus, tires & tubes (and, possibly "rim tape"😉.

You CAN initially build up your frame into a very rideable bike for less than $100US (excluding the cost of tools), if that's your objective ... or, spend hundreds/thousands, as suggested.

morganism said:

So I haven't even put my butt on a bicycle seat in about 10 years. I had the bright idea to get a frame and build a good beginner road bike all by myself. Well, now I'm all nervous and twitchy about this project.

I have a 45cm Shogun frame (I'm only 5'1) and that's it. I have been browsing all of the threads regarding bike building, but I don't even know what 90% of the parts are. How do I know what is compatible with my frame? I plan on going the mostly used parts route since I'm a novice. Other than that, I have no plans... No clues... No direction. Help? Advice? I feel like an idiot going into a bike shop blindly... "Umm yeah, I need to build a bike. What do I want? Oh, what should I want?" I'd like some sort of idea as to what I'm looking for before I make myself look like a complete moron. haha. Thanks!

Start with a good repair book like Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance. It will give you a good idea of how everything works. There are also a lot of good articles at www.sheldonbrown.com (particularly usefull for dealing with oddball compatability problems) and www.parktool.com.

You need to ask yourself several questions. Are you building a bike thinking it will be cheaper than one off the floor? (The answer to that is a definite NO.) Are you building some bizarre unavailable combination where money is no object? Are you building it because you want the experience?

It really isn't all that tough and requires few specialty tools (bb socket, cassette tool) though you may want to have a LBS press in your headset cups because that tool is expensive. Most everything is just bolting on. Parktool.com has a good section.